Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a burgeoning technology in the manufacturing industry and is referred to as a “manufacturing technique that signifies industrial revolution”. The main process flow of 3D printing is briefly stated as follows. To begin with, a 3D design is produced using computer software. Then, a specific forming apparatus (commonly known as a 3D printer) is used to “print” the product, one layer after another, out of a liquid, powdery, or fibrous material. 3D printing has developed rapidly in recent years and can be applied in combination with numerical control machining, casting, cold-spray metal coating, silicone molding, etc. as an effective approach to the manufacture of modern models, molds, and parts. 3D printing not only has found applications in the aviation/aerospace industry, the automobile/motorcycle industry, the home appliance industry, biomedicine, and the cultural and creative industry, but also has taken a unique position in engineering, teaching, and researches.
The underlying principle of 3D printing is “to produce by successively added layers”. The technique is also called an “additive process”. Based on the shape of the final product, a 3D printer produces a plurality of successive layers, each of a small thickness and a specific shape, and the layers are sequentially bonded together to form the final 3D product.
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of an existing 3D printer. As shown in the drawing, a partition plate 20 with openings 210 arranged in an array is placed on a working platform 10. A solid material is extruded from the printing head 30 of the 3D printer onto the partition plate 20. As the extruded solid material grows by layers, the successively bonded layers form a product 40 on the partition plate 20.
During the manufacturing process of the product 40, however, the extruded solid material may flow into and solidify in the openings 210 of the partition plate 20. As a result, residues 220 of the solid material are left in the openings 210 once the product 40 is taken from the partition plate 20, as shown in FIG. 2, and the solidified residues 220 are very difficult to remove from the openings 210. Chances are the use of the partition plate 20 will be adversely affected. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a residue removing device that can readily clear away the residues 220.